Indian bank to open branch in Afghanistan

The Punjab National Bank is to open a branch in Kabul by June, making it the first Indian bank to open an office in Afghanistan, a PNB spokesman said Friday. The move has been endorsed by the Reserve Bank of India, the central bank, the PNB spokesman told AFP.
"There is great opportunity in Afghanistan. With reconstruction work on, there could be interesting avenues for the bank," said PNB chief S.S. Kohli.
A team of officials from the central bank, the federal finance ministry and PNB are expected to travel to Kabul next week to finalise details, the Indian Express daily said.
The Kabul unit will also be the PNBs first full-fledged branch outside India, with the bank having representative offices in Britain and Kazakhstan.